South Tyneside to get £2million to improve schools and create more places

David Allison

South Tyneside is to get more than £2million to improve school buildings and create more places for children at primary and secondary level, it has been announced.

Education chiefs say the borough needs to make almost 371 primary and secondary new school places by the year 2020.

And education secretary Justine Greening says that a £2.4billion investment nationally will help areas such as South Tyneside to achieve its aims.

South Tyneside Council is to get £930,448 towards creating the new places, while the area will also get £1,563,982 towards improving school facilities.

As part of its ‘Plan for Britain’, the Government says it wants every child to have access to a ‘good’ school place.

Local councils say they need to create more than 230,000 primary and secondary school places nationally between 2017 and 2020.

Ideas include lifting the ban on new grammar schools as well as using the expertise and resources of universities, independent and faith schools.

Ms Greening said: “Our Plan for Britain is to build a fairer society, with a good school place available for every child.

“This £2.4billion investment, together with our proposals to create more good school places, will help ensure every young person has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.”

A spokeswoman for South Tyneside Council said: “Of the funding announced just £930,000 is actually new to help meet the demand for new school places; the rest has already been reported.

“South Tyneside will not receive this funding until 2019/20 and we will consider in due course how and where it will be spent to meet our strategic outcomes.

“In the meantime we continue to do all we can to provide the borough’s young people with the best start in life.

“We continue to work in partnership with our excellent school staff, our young people and their families and carers, to raise standards and ensure that all of our children and young people fulfil their potential.”